The Horse Herds: NightHerd's Story
by Kaloleina
Summary: Shadyhoof and Rainyheart, apprentices of NightHerd, struggle to understand and forgive each other after the demise of their friend. Meanwhile, a bigger threat is emerging, and problems between the two need to be resolved in order to face it.
1. Prologue and Shadyhoof's Wood

**I wrote this about a year ago, I made some edits before posting it. There are three Herds: NightHerd, SwiftHerd, and BlazeHerd. This first story will tell about a certain point in the Herd's history from the POV of the NightHerd apprentices Shadyhoof and Rainyheart. The other stories will tell from the POV of SwiftHerd and BlazeHerd apprentices. WishHerd is like StarClan or the Tribe of Endless Hunting to the Herds. Enjoy the story and review.**

Prologue

WishHerd listened in silence to the ceremony taking place in NightHerd's forest. Melancholy nickers echoed in the endless grassland where the silent horses stood. A filly of WishHerd bowed her head and whispered to the Herd below, to one trembling colt in the crowd.

"It's not your fault."

Chapter 1:

Shadyhoof was taking a walk in the far part of the forest, a place that only he knew. Well, Rainyheart had known. And so did Mousehoof . He remembered taking her as a foal to his favorite place by the violets where the sun shone through the aspen leaves. This part of the forest was alive and green, full of birdsong and color! Once she had stumbled down while they trotted up a rocky hill. He had leapt down to follow her. She had fallen into a dip that led to a cave.The uneven shade of the ferns surrounding her dappled her pale brown coat. '_Look Shadyhoof! Isn't it beautiful?'_ It was, with poppies bordering the place where the bright sunshine gave way to the shady cavern and deep green moss coating the ground and walls and small, pointy rocks emerging from the top. He was glad to have discovered that with her, when she fell once… _When she fell once…No…twice…_

Shadyhoof remembered why she wasn't with him. He searched for the hill with the cave. When he entered the mossy cave, the moss was shriveling, as if it too were lonely…

"Mousehoof!" he whinnied pitifully "Do you still play here? Do you hear my voice? I'm sorry, I was careless!" Nothing moved, there was no acknowledging whisper carried on the wind, no reassurance that he was forgiven. He collapsed onto the moss and lay there, wishing to join his friend who now grazed with WishHerd.


	2. Herd Allegiances

**Harry Potter 101: Sure, I'll do the allegiances…**

Allegiances

**NightHerd**

**Leader**: Duskeye- Gray stallion

**Next-In-Line **_(Deputy)_: Crabfur- Bright chestnut stallion

**Wish-teller **_(Horse with connection to WishHerd): _Turtleshell- Dappled brown mare.** Apprentice, Rainyheart**-Dappled gray colt, became Wish-teller apprentice to be closer to Mousehoof

**Scouts **_(Horses who search for new grasslands and camps while migrating):_

Airstomp: Palomino stallion **Apprentice, Shadyhoof-** Dark gray colt

Skygallop: Swift bay mare

Berrycoat: Blue roan mare **Apprentice, Sunhoof-** Dark chestnut filly

Cloudshadow: Dapple-gray stallion

Snaptail: Cranky white stallion **Apprentice, Warblehoof-** Shy yellow dun filly

**Defenders**_ (Horses who protect the Herd from threats like predators)_:

Flickfoot: Enthusiastic dun mare **Apprentice, Winghoof-**Strawberry roan filly

Straightstep: Dark gray mare

**Mother mares **_(Mares expecting or nursing foals)_

Fadedday: Old black mare. Mother of Sharpfoal (deep chestnut colt)

**Elders:**

Woodfrost: Pinto stallion (Skewbald, dark brown patches)

**BlazeHerd**

**Leader:** Dappleeye- Old dapple-gray mare

**Next-in-line:** Prickedear-Young white stallion with blue eyes

**Wish-teller:** Fogspots- Skewbald pinto stallion (gray patches)

**Scouts:**

Slaghaunch: Big gray short-tempered stallion. **Apprentice, Chirphoof-** Lame chestnut filly, rare twin of Sandhoof

Grassbreeze: Senior palomino mare

Blackcoat: Obedient black stallion.** Apprentice, Sandhoof-**Buckskin colt, rare twin of Chirphoof

**Defenders:**

Spotwhinny: Appaloosa stallion with blue eyes. **Apprentice, Hazehoof-** Gray colt with blue eyes

Rabbithop: Young white mare

**Mother mares:**

Leafsplash: Pinto (Chestnut patches) mother of Buckfoal ( yellow dun colt)

Restlessmouth: Smart-mouthed chestnut mare. Mother of Flamefoal (chestnut filly)

Littlesnow: Small white mare. Mother of Violetfoal (blue dun filly)

**Elders:**

Freecanter: Old messenger, retired due to Founder. Blue dun stallion.

**SwiftHerd**

**Leader:** Birdeye- Bay mare

**Next-In-Line: **Quickflight- Quiet black stallion

**Wish-teller: **Nightnose- Dark brown mare. **Apprentice, Singehoof-** Piebald colt

**Scouts:**

Splotchfur: Pinto stallion. **Apprentice, Gingerhoof-** pale chestnut filly

Daisyleaf: Dapple-gray mare with one brown eye and one blue eye

**Defenders:**

Daygrass: Pale brown mare. **Apprentice, Greenhoof-** Spoiled white colt

Cloudcoat: Silvery-gray mare

**Mother mares:**

Dreamflower: Sandy colored mare. Mother of Shellfoal.

Loudfoot: Young pinto mare. Mother of Rosefoal.

**Elders: **

**Frozengaze: Blue-eyed silvery-gray mare**

**Crackedjaw: Pinto stallion with a twisted jaw. Oldest horse of the three Herds.**


	3. Rainyheart's Ceremony

**Sorry it's so short, wouldn't you rather have frequent yet short bits of a story than long ones that take two months each to be updated?**

"Rainyhoof, are you sure you want this?" Duskeye murmured.

Rainyhoof nodded, gazing at nothing with clouded eyes. Duskeye sighed and turned to the Herd.

"Rainyhoof desires to take up a position as Wish-teller. With this promotion, I will give him his full name." Duskeye turned his head towards Rainyhoof, who still stared away.

"Rainyhoof, do you promise to protect and guide your Herd and uphold the Code of WishHerd, even at the cost of your life?"

At the last part Rainyhoof shuddered and glanced at the giant looming rock that shadowed the ceremony. He faced the Herd.

"Yes, I do."

"Then from this day forth, you shall be known as Rainyheart."

The nickers that echoed through the forest were sad and mournful as they greeted Rainyheart by his new name. Though usually a time of joy, this ceremony was filled with evidence of the recent and terrible loss.

Rainyheart's ears pricked, and a whisper passed by him, heading for the crowd but never reaching the dark gray colt it was meant for. Rainyheart gazed up at the stars, knowing who had spoken, and hoping to speak himself.

"I miss you, Mousehoof."


	4. The Moss Cave

Rainyheart's storm cloud-gray coat moved silently through the swaying ferns that dappled the ground with shadows. _The poppies are wilting,_ he noticed, and he felt a pang . Ears forward and more alert than he had been since the incident on the rocky hill, he pressed forward, to the very back of the cavern. Once he and Mousehoof had noticed the unnatural way that the moss back here shimmered. They had always assumed that it was the angle that the light hit the drops of water that clung to the ends of the moss, but now that the moss was drying up, he knew that there was more to it. Instantly, the whinnies of countless horses swarmed through his ears.

But still, he felt lonelier than ever. Where were his friends? Where had they gone?

_I know where they've gone, _he thought _to the place of no return., betrayal and death._

"How could I lose my two closest friends? How could I lose you, Mousehoof?"

Rainyheart couldn't tell if Mousehoof had heard.

Juicy green blades of grass spread out eternally through the misty, star flecked air. A dark, but not ominous line of trees bordered the meadow, but no matter how far you went, the trees never got any closer.

A pleasurable dream for most, but a nightmare for Mousehoof.

Her hooves itched to explore, but she knew that the comfortable green tinge of forest air would never be hers. Life without the cave and the hill was unfathomable, yet here she was. Nothing about her had changed. She still wanted to go and learn with Crabfur about the poisonous plants and everything. The lush, green grasses of WishHerd never held water hemlock or foxglove. She didn't care if the hill had killed her, it was her home, even more than the fields where the Herd slept. She could never wait to return from the migration to find the poppies blooming again. She stomped in frustration. _Anything_ would be better than this. She would love every minute of this eternal afterlife if only Rainyheart were here. They could do anything together. Her nostrils flared. _There's so much we didn't do…_

_Rainyheart's gaze was fixed anxiously on the patch of moss on the wall. A soft rustling of the ferns behind him caused him to whip his head around. Shadyhoof's dark gray form was standing at the mouth of the cave, frozen in terror._


End file.
